A Connector in the North Omaha Community
Despite its seemingly simple mission, The Salvation Army North Corps Worship and Community Center Kare Kitchen is more than just a lunch program; it’s the entry point for many community members to get to know everything The Salvation Army can do.

As the largest noontime feeding program for adults in the North Omaha area, Kare Kitchen provides more than 150 meals a day, five days a week. But it means more to the people who walk through its doors than just lunch. It means they’ll receive a well-balanced meal, perhaps the only food they eat that day. It means they can get through the month on a limited income. It means their community cares about them, welcomes them and is there to help any way it can.

Kare Kitchen draws in people who first drop in for lunch and are then offered the opportunity to take advantage of other services The Salvation Army can provide or recommend. North Corps’ Major Randy Summit said, “I can’t count the referrals we make for stats, because it’s just part of what we do here.”

A couple of frequent visitors Major Randy and others at Kare Kitchen like to see are Ann and Arlene, two friends who live near The Sal. Even though Ann is blind and wheelchair-bound and Arlene is deaf, they help each other out every day using the buddy system. Ann can hear everything, while Arlene can push the wheelchair, making them a great team to see at lunchtime.

“They’re lovely ladies, and they remind us that we can all find ways to help others even through hardship,” said Major Randy.

At Kare Kitchen, anyone can come in to eat, and they do. Especially when you can smell the fried chicken a mile away. The disabled, parents with children, those of different faiths, the homeless, seniors — Kare Kitchen serves them all.

2,463 people served in 2014

More than 150 meals a day

At least 10% of those who come in for
the lunch program utilize or get referrals
for other services